 |
| The University of Chicago is already accepting applications for fall 2016. |
Colleges
are increasingly ignoring the “official” start of the application season as
signaled by the annual rebooting of the Common Application on August 1. They
are posting
applications earlier in the summer and inviting students to begin
completing applications long before Labor Day.
While
few applicants and their families, or colleges for that matter, expect school
counselors to abruptly terminate vacations and run back to school early for the
purpose of sending recommendations or transcripts, the pressure to get an early
start is definitely being felt throughout the admissions system. And not everyone is too happy about the trend.
On the
positive side, many independent
educational consultants (IECs) welcome the opportunity to help students start
working on applications during the summer, particularly those in areas of the
country where school opens the first or second week of August. They want everyone to know that part of their
“value added” is the ability to counsel applicants on how the process works and
the need for a more measured approach to the pressure to submit early.
This
includes reminding families that school counselors have other priorities at the
start of the school year and aren’t likely to turn attention to applications
and transcripts in the first few weeks of the term.
For
their part, colleges understand that a number of factors guide when supporting
documents can be sent, not the least of which is opening day, which for many is
after
Labor Day. And the last thing
anyone wants is to heighten competition by making one element of the process a
function of the date by which all paperwork is completed.
It’s no
secret there are regional differences as to when school starts and cultural
differences (public vs. private) as to how quickly school counselors can
respond to these kinds of requests at the start of the school year. Few
(but some) colleges start reading before mid-September and none should be making
decisions in violation of NACAC’s Statement of Principles of Good Practice, which advise
colleges not to “establish any application deadlines for first-year candidates
for fall admission prior to October 15” and to “give equal consideration to
all applications received by that date.”
Keeping
in mind that not everyone thinks application “creep” is a good thing, here is great
advice provided by school counselors, independent counselors, and former
admissions staff on the question of how to handle applications during the
summer months:
“My students would prefer to get the application load done
prior to starting classes. They understand that teacher and counselor
recommendations as well as sending transcripts will not be available for the
first weeks of school (California) but this does not stop them from working
ahead. I also have them draft college essays in the summer, and then re-visit
the drafts in September with a fresh perspective.” Joan Thomas,
College Mapping
“I also have a big focus on getting
as much paperwork (applications filled out, essay drafts in 99% final form,
scholarship searches, etc.) done as possible during the spring and summer
before senior year begins in the fall so that my students have less stress,
meet their deadlines, manage their homework and activities, and hopefully have
more time to enjoy their last year of high school--there's enough stress
already!” Marilyn van Loben Sels, College GPS
“I find summer application availability quite helpful for my
kids who are athletes or have other unusually large time commitments above and
beyond in the fall. What does frustrate me however are the Oct 15th deadlines
that seem to be on the rise. That works for kids starting school in mid or
early August but for those of us heading back to school after Labor Day, an
application deadline six weeks into the school year is a bit much.” Amy S.
Jasper, My College Fit
“For what it's
worth, here in NY, schools typically open after Labor Day and many guidance
counselors will not accept applications until the end of September. Many
of my clients go away for the summer and I want to encourage those meaningful,
non-academic experiences. I find it unfair and potentially stressful to
allow applicants to start earlier when most students in our
area do not have that option.” Jill P. Madenberg, Independent
Educational Consultant
“I
can imagine a scenario where the high school counselors, who are doing schedule
adjustments and orientations at the beginning of the school year, are bombarded
with anxious seniors who want their transcripts sent yesterday.
Generally, it takes some time at the beginning of a school year to get
the school profiles and transcripts finalized, not to mention letters of
recommendation. Consultants who are advising students to send their
applications during the summer could help by 1) explaining to the student that
the transcripts and high school reports may not go out right at the beginning
of the school year and to be patient and 2) contact the high school counselors
in their area to find out what their policies are.” Patricia Bostwick, My College
Matchmaker
“[I]t would seem to me that school
counselors, as well as consultants could benefit from a longer not shorter
application season in that students and everyone else involved in the college
admissions process might feel less pressured to meet deadlines that are bunched
together at the same time.” Melanie Rome, Independent Educational Consultant
“There
are so many reasons why I think summer applications are a bad idea…Let them be
kids, let them go to camp, let them get a summer job, let them recharge their
batteries for goodness sakes!! These students need a break from academics,
applications, test prep, and everything else that goes along with being a high
school student. Why can't we just let them be kids, have fun and enjoy their
summers, stress-free from college applications?!” Felice R. Kobrick,
Kobrick College Consulting
“We need to help our students and
their families stay calm and reassure them that all will be well, as long as
they keep clear lines of communication open with their high school counselor
and their IEC. We all know that managing expectations is a part of our work,
whether it be related to college admission or helping students be real about
how quickly people can and will respond to their requests. When I was a high
school counselor, we would go into junior year US History classes to talk with
the kids about the college process. I used to say, ‘Please tell your parents
that I don't work any smarter, harder, or faster when anyone is yelling at me,
either in person or via email about the urgency of getting application pieces
submitted.’" Claire Nold-Glaser, College Planning Help
“It's like doing your
Christmas/Chanukah shopping in July. You'll buy those presents early, but you
still can't gift them until the holidays! Keep in mind, most colleges will not
so much as look at an application until it is ‘complete,’ meaning that they not
only have your application, but also your transcripts, Guidance Report, letters
of recommendation, score reports, etc. Most of these will not be ready to go,
let alone sent to colleges, until the end of September, at the earliest…Don't
rush those applications! Remember, the early bird may catch the worm, but the
second mouse gets the cheese!” Seth
Bykofsky, The College Whisperer
“Summer
has always been my busiest time. I emphasize that the goal is to have all of
the college visits, essays (main, additional info and supplements) as well as
the Common App completed before the student goes back to school in late August
or early September. I want the student to concentrate on getting their best
grades in the first semester of senior year!” Judy Zodda, Zodda College
Services
“[F]or all of my students, I like that they can have early
access to real applications at this point in the game. I think it can connect
our newest seniors to the reality of just how crunched time is about to become.
I don't recommend to them that they rush through the process of filling
anything out yet, just that they connect with the application process in a
measured, thoughtful way…As long as colleges are not viewing these summer
application submissions as some kind of preferential treatment for admission
consideration, I'm fine with them getting their process going at this time.”
Amy Goldin, COPA Inc.
“I suggest to my seniors that they begin working on the common app (or other applications) beginning in August, with the goal of completing basic demographic info, activities, and honors prior to the start of school. This works in NC, where the first day of school is usually August 25. I also advise them to set aside applications for at least the first week of school while they readjust to complicated schedules comprising classes, sports, and other extracurriculars. I think it is a psychological boost to accomplish some work on applications.” Julie Cunningham, Cunningham College Consulting
“Logistically, transcripts with
finalized courses seniors are actually taking are not available until the end
of September. We tell seniors to give us 30 days to process requests which
includes transcripts and recommendations. It also takes time for us to finalize
the school profile and get it printed and uploaded to Naviance. We are a bit at
the mercy of our enrollment data, the time it takes to update the information
for the profile, time necessary to design/redesign the profile, and the time it
takes for the outside printer to do the job…Yes, even public school folk
believe in being proactive and getting work you can do early before school
starts. I don’t see any advantage to sending out applications to schools in
August/September.” Diana Blitz, Counselor, Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.
“I always encourage my students to
apply when the application opens if the student is ready. I want my seniors to
enjoy their last year of high school. Whatever they can accomplish during the
summer actually relieves the stress often associated with the application
process. I also wish more colleges would start releasing their supplemental
essay prompts earlier so that students could get started on those as well. I
often find that a supplemental essay may be a good starting point for some
students as they can become overwhelmed by the Common Application essay but
know exactly why they are applying to a college or can easily address a direct question…I
think the quality of the essay is much better when the student has time to give
it some thought and not worry about the physics test, the homecoming dance and
the pile of applications.” Jeana Kawamura,
Kawamura College Advisement
“I think giving kids the opportunity to start work on their
applications over the summer is a great idea, and I encourage my students to do
so as often as possible. For kids at the upper end of the academic
spectrum, their workload is intense, and trying to juggle college applications
and essays adds to their stress. The kids at the lower end of the
spectrum need to show top grades in the first semester to indicate an upward
trend to colleges. So getting work done in the summer relieves stress on
all kids. I encourage my students to complete their Common App essay by
July, so that they can use August to complete the Common App itself and to
begin work on college-specific essays. I find that when they have a
little more time on their hands and feel more relaxed, they write more
reflective essays. AND they are thrilled to go back to school and find
themselves in a great position compared to many of their peers who haven't yet
thought much about the process.” Eleanor Long LongRoad2College
And what do you think?
Check here
for a list of colleges that are ready and willing to accept applications
for fall 2016.
Posts
